RE Features

After hitting the Breakfast Club, NY Times & Jimmy Fallon to promote his new memoir, Raw: My Journey Into Wu-Tang, which was released on 3-6 and his upcoming solo album, Venom, which will be released on 3-30-18 (and includes the lead-single, “Epicenter,” F/ Raekwon and INS Deck) U-God will be returning home to NYC for the final leg of his 20-city tour.

U-God will be holding an intimate Q&A session for his new book on Monday March 26th at Housing Works Café. and he will also be at the Barnes & Noble in Staten Island on Thursday March 29th. U-God will celebrate the release of his new solo-album, Venom, with a release show performance on Friday March 30th in Brooklyn at Gold Sounds Live.

Recently, U-God imitated that he has a track with Cher and Redman on the top secret Wu-Tang album Once Upon A Time in Shaolin, what to expect from that project once pharma-bro Martin Shkreli is forced to relinquish it and how he almost smacked up Leonardo DiCaprio.

From Mass Appeal, Rapture stares directly into the bright light that hip hop culture shines on the world and doesn’t blink. Throughout 8 episodes and featuring a diverse swath of artists — Nas and Dave East, T.I., Rapsody, Logic, G-Eazy, A Boogie wit da Hoodie, 2 Chainz and Just Blaze – Rapture dives into the artists’ lives with their families and friends, to sitting front row in the studio and grinding on tour, to experiencing the ecstatic power of moving the crowd.

“Way back, when hip hop culture was in its gestational phase, the powerful message therein didn’t go much further than the five boroughs of New York City. Today, rap music is the heartbeat of Mother Earth, and Netflix is the embodiment of the eyes from which she sees,” said Sacha Jenkins of Mass Appeal. “It is a great honor for Mass Appeal to work with Netflix to produce our new series Rapture. We’ve been telling hip hop stories since ’96, and as natives we feel it is our duty to do the movement justice. Rapture is bangin’. Straight up.”

About Mass Appeal: What started as a humble graffiti ‘zine in 1996 would soon grow to be one of the most trusted outlets for youth-spawned urban culture. Today, Mass Appeal is a content & media collective led by authentic voices and inspired minds. We are a platform for radical creatives who are transforming culture. With twenty years of living, breathing and documenting the urban experience, Mass Appeal stands as the premier translator, examiner and champion of cutting edge culture. Hip-hop is the new rock n’ roll, and the movement’s reach is boundless.

The Student Who Shows the
Most School Spirit Can Help Bring the Star-Studded “Party” to Their University with

THE WORLD PREMIERE OF NEW LINE CINEMA’S COMEDY ‘LIFE OF THE PARTY’

March 8, 2018 – Students who participate in Warner Bros. Pictures’ and New Line Cinema’s LIFE OF THE PARTY Premiere Promotion can help bring the party-and the movie premiere-to their city simply by showing they have more school spirit than their peers at other colleges across the country.

Starting today, the Premiere Promotion will launch online at www.LifeofthePartyPremiere.com and via all WB social arenas. Just by posting a photo on a social media account depicting their school spirit and uploading it to the site, students will be eligible to make their school’s town the site of the LIFE OF THE PARTY World Premiere. Participants will also need to follow either the official “Life of the Party” Twitter or Instagram accounts (see links below) during the entirety of the Promotion to remain apprised of Promotion developments.

In the spirit of March’s usual madness, the initial phase of the Promotion begins today, March 8, 2018, and entries will be accepted through 11:59 PM PT on Wednesday, March 21, 2018. Phase two begins on Friday, March 23, when the Top 25 universities vying for the Premiere will be announced on the website. Then the Promotion heats up between them, with the last school standing announced on Friday, April 6.

Starring the eternally youthful Melissa McCarthy, LIFE OF THE PARTY tells the story of longtime dedicated housewife Deanna who, when her husband suddenly dumps her, turns regret into re-set by going back to college-alongside her daughter-and plunging headlong into the campus experience!

It’s possible that no one is quite as spirited as McCarthy’s Deanna, but real students can give it the old college try by entering the promotion beginning today, and continuing to share with all their friends on social media channels, proving just who has the most school spirit in the U.S. One lucky university will then be selected to host the movie’s star-studded, red carpet world premiere in their city in advance of the film’s release in theaters on May 11.

McCarthy and Falcone co-wrote the screenplay and produced through their production company, On the Day. Chris Henchy also produced the film, with Toby Emmerich, Richard Brener, Michael Disco and David Siegel serving as executive producers. New Line Cinema Presents an On the Day Production, “Life of the Party.” Slated for release on May 11, the film will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company. It has been rated PG-13.

Universal Television has closed a new first-look deal with writer/director Malcolm D. Lee for both comedy and drama projects.

Quote from Universal Television President Pearlena Igbokwe: “I first met Malcolm 20 years ago when he was a bourgeoning filmmaker with his short ‘Morningside Prep.’ His talent was evident back then so it is no wonder he has become such a successful filmmaker. I’m looking forward to our rekindled collaboration and making up for lost time.”

Quote from Malcolm D. Lee: “I am very excited to finally expand my storytelling in the vast space that is television. Having spent the first 20 years of my career immersed in feature film I really am ready to lend my voice to scripted television where I hope to continue to tell complex and diverse stories on a broader canvas. I am overwhelmed with excitement of working with Pearlena Igbokwe and her team to bring forth stories about which I am passionate. I cannot wait to get started.”

Lee has directed the box office hit Girls Trip and wrote and directed the Best Man franchise for Universal Pictures.

More about Malcolm D. Lee
Malcolm D. Lee made history in July 2017 as the director and producer of Girls Trip, the first film with a full African American creative team in front of and behind the camera to surpass the $100 million mark at the box-office. Last summer’s runaway hit starring Regina Hall, Jada Pinkett Smith, Queen Latifah and the much lauded newcomer Tiffany Haddish, who has won several awards for her performance in the film, has grossed over $140,000,000 worldwide. Lee’s other credits include The Best Man (1999), which opened at No. 1 in the box office, and, to raves from critics and audiences alike. His other critically acclaimed films include Undercover Brother (2002), Roll Bounce (2005), Welcome Home, Roscoe Jenkins (2008), Soul Men (2008), The Best Man Holiday (2013), and Barbershop: The Next Cut (2016). This year, Lee re-teams with Haddish for his upcoming feature Night School (2018) starring Kevin Hart and Haddish. Lee currently has several feature projects in development including Rock the Bells, the next installment of the popular Best Man franchise, The Best Man Wedding, and a feature adaptation of Terry McMillan’s latest novel “I Almost Forgot About You” as a starring vehicle for Viola Davis. Lee’s television credits include directing episodes of the critically acclaimed Shots Fired and Everybody Hates Chris series.

To celebrate Black History Month, hip-hop legend, producer and entrepreneur Nas pays homage to a long tradition of Black musicians and storytellers who continue to empower us today in this compelling open letter and video.

Music has scored my life since day one.

Michael Jackson and the Jackson 5 – WOW. That music really touched me. And the theme music to Marvel cartoons like the Amazing Spider Man and Iron Man – we used to sing those songs in kindergarten. Most kids have flashing memories of being served lullabies by their parents when they were shorties, and in this regard, I humbly fall, eyes closed, into that plush “most kids” box.

I was blessed to have love from both of my parents, and it just so happens that my father’s love for music took him around the globe via his own sonic excursions, both live and recorded. Pops would come back with mad loot (cash money, that is) from around the world. It was a testament to his globetrotting and a cool little nod to me that said, young blood, when you’re ready, the world is yours.

Growing up, Black history lessons in school were limited to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., George Washington Carver and Harriet Tubman. It wasn’t until I found my local public library-and with guidance from friendly librarians-that I began to understand the full breadth and depth of the impact of Africans in America. As a little Black girl growing up in white suburban Maryland, these lessons at the library, reinforced by conversations with my parents, were necessary to shaping a healthy identity as a Black woman.

As I studied my history, I learned that Harriet Tubman overcame her small stature and birth into slavery as, not only a brilliant conductor on the Underground Railroad, but a strategist who led the first military maneuver executed by an American woman. I learned that Jesse Owens overcame his childhood as a sickly sharecropper’s son to become an Olympic gold medalist. I learned that Black Americans in the South left what was familiar to migrate by the millions toward opportunity in the North, Midwest and West Coast. And I fell in love with the poems of Langston Hughes, who articulated the pain and the beauty of the Black experience in words that perfectly expressed what I had-until then-only felt.

LOS ANGELES – January 17, 2018 –Celebrating his 30-year anniversary in comedy, veteran comedian Eddie Griffin takes to the stage in the hilarious new special EDDIE GRIFFIN: UNDENIABLE, premiering on SHOWTIME onFriday, February 9 at 10 p.m. ET/PT on-air, on demand and over the internet. Filmed at the Berklee Performing Arts Center in Boston, Massachusetts, Griffin offers his prolific and entertaining point of view on the state of the world, tackling politics, racism, relationships, religion and humanity as a whole. Ultimately reflecting on his long-standing career, he pays tribute to close friends and late comedians Charlie Murphy, Bernie Mac, Dick Gregory and Richard Pryor (among others) with flawless impersonations. With his quick wit and animated delivery, Griffin does not mince words in this comedy event.

Griffin started his career on stage as a dare when he was a teenager and has continued to build his fan base worldwide. The Kansas City native had been voted “Class Clown” three years in a row when his cousin dared him to get on stage at a local comedy club. He was given only a few minutes to impress the audience but ended up successfully performing off-the-cuff for 45 minutes and was hooked, purchasing a one-way ticket to Los Angeles to pursue his dream of becoming a stand-up comedian. Griffin’s career leaped from the stage to the screen with nearly 50 credits to his name, including starring roles in the feature film Undercover Brother, John Q(with Denzel Washington) and the upcoming feature, A Star is Born with Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper, as well as his own television series Malcolm & Eddie.

EDDIE GRIFFIN: UNDENIABLE is directed by Gobi M. Rahimi and executive produced by Griffin and Sylvia V. Hillman.

Larenz Tate, Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Award-winner and Power series star and Erica Ash, who appears on Survivor’s Remorse and stars in the upcoming BET legal drama series In Contempt, will serve as this year’s hosts. The gala black-tie ceremony will be held at the Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre in Atlanta, Georgia on Sat. Jan. 20, 2018.

Cee Lo Green, Omar Gooding and Angell Conwell will be among the presenters.

About this year’s honorees and awards:
GRAMMY® Award-winning record producer, songwriter, hip-hop artist, Jermaine Dupri will receive The Music Innovation Award. Dupri has worked withMariah Carey, Usher, Jay-Z, Janet Jackson, Aretha Franklin, Anthony Hamilton and Alicia Keys. He founded So So Def Recordings in 1993 which launched the careers of Bow Wow, Xscape, Da Brat, Jagged Edge and many others.

American soul-influenced funk group Cameo will be presented with this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award. With a career spanning four decades, Cameo has released 17 albums and is well-known for their dance floor hits including Single Life, Candy and Word Up!, which led to the pop-culture catch phrase of the same name. Their undeniable impact to contemporary music can be heard in songs from Tupac Shakur to The Beastie Boys.

Founder of Sundial Brands and Essence Ventures Richelieu Denniswill be recognized with The Entrepreneur Award. Drivenby his passion for entrepreneurship and sustained by a vision to fill unmet consumer needs, Dennis founded SheaMoisture in 1991 which has grown into one of the world’s most recognized beauty brands. Just this month, it was announced that Dennis’s Essence Ventures, LLC will acquire Essence Communications, Inc. which includes Essence Magazine.

Activist and National Co-Chair of the Women’s March, Tamika Mallory, will receive The Impact Award. In 2009, Mallory became the youngest Executive Director of the National Action Network (NAN). She gained recognition as one of four co-chairs of the Women’s March on Washington, which saw participation from five million people worldwide. Her role in the March landed her on the 2017 Time 100 Pioneers List and Fortune’s 2017 List of the World’s Greatest Leaders.

13-year old social activist behind the #1000BlackGirlBooks, Marley Dias, will be given The Trailblazer Award. Dias has appeared on Ellen, CBS This Morning and BET’s Black Girls Rock and recently became the youngest person featured on this year’s Forbes 30 Under 30 List.

Nuclear Engineer and Inventor Dr. Lonnie Johnson will be honored with The Innovator Award. Dr. Johnson holds more than 80 patents, including his most famous invention, the Super Soaker® water gun, which is one of the most popular toys in the world with sales approaching sales of $1 billion.

Actress, singer and dancer Rhyon Brown will receive the Rising Star Award presented by McDonald’s. Brown is best known for her role as Elizabeth “Lizzie” Sutton on the ABC Family series Lincoln Heights and has had recurring roles on That’s So Raven, Judging Amy and Tyler Perry’s For Better or Worse.

The Trumpet Awards were conceived to recognize the outstanding accomplishments of African Americans and those who have succeeded against great odds and inspired success in others. Founded in 1992 by American Civil Rights leader Xernona Clayton, The Trumpet Awards were acquired by Bounce in 2016. The list of prestigious honorees over its 26-year history includes Muhammad Ali, Beyoncé, Jamie Foxx, Halle Berry, Stevie Wonder, The African-American Women of the United States Congress, Steve Harvey, Martin Luther King III, Janelle Monáe and Spike Lee. Visit www.trumpetawards.com for more information.

Bounce (@BounceTV) airs on the broadcast signals of local television stations and corresponding cable carriage, and features a programming mix of original and off-network series, theatrical motion pictures, specials, live sports, and more. Bounce has grown to be available in more than 99 million homes across the United States and 95% of all African-American (AA) television homes, including all the top AA television markets. Among the founders of Bounce are iconic American figures Ambassador Andrew Young and Martin Luther King III.

Los Angeles, Calif. (January 4th, 2018) — Internationally-celebrated Grammy® Award–winning global superstar Kendrick Lamar and Billboard Magazine’s Executive of the Year, Anthony “Top Dawg” Tiffith, are set to curate and produce “Black Panther: The Album.” The album will feature music from and inspired by Marvel Studios’ Black Panther film including the lead single, “All The Stars,” featuring Kendrick Lamar and label mate SZA, produced by Sounwave. “Black Panther” is directed by critically acclaimed filmmaker Ryan Coogler and stars Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Oscar® winner Lupita Nyong’o and Danai Gurira, among others.

Lamar and Tiffith will collaborate with Coogler directly in the creation of music specific to the needs of the film. This will mark the first time that Lamar, whom Rolling Stone dubbed “the greatest rapper alive,” will write, produce, perform and curate for a major motion picture.

This collaboration represents the first time in Marvel Cinematic Universe history that Marvel Studios will integrate multiple original recordings created specifically for the film.

Lamar was hand-picked by Coogler for this first film music collaboration. “I am honored to be working with such an incredible artist whose work has been so inspirational, and whose artistic themes align with those we explore in the film. I can’t wait for the world to hear what Kendrick and TDE have in store,” said Coogler.

Lamar added, “Marvel Studios’Black Panther is amazing, from its cast to its director. The magnitude of this film showcases a great marriage of art and culture. I’m truly honored to contribute my knowledge of producing sound and writing music alongside Ryan and Marvel’s vision.”

Top Dawg added: “Working on such a powerful movie is a great opportunity. We’re always working on new goals at TDE, so teaming up with Disney, Marvel Studios and the Black Panther film makes perfect sense.”

Kendrick Lamar is one of the most streamed artists in the world with his latest album in excess of two billion combined streams. Fresh off his six wins at the 2017 VMAs, including Video of the Year, Best Hip Hop video, Best Cinematography, Direction, Art Direction and Visual Effects, he is regarded as one of the most important, critically acclaimed and creatively inventive artists globally.

Platinum-selling, Grammy-award winning artist Kendrick Lamar is one of the rare artists who has achieved critical and commercial success while earning the respect and support of those who inspired him. A native of Compton, California, Lamar released his debut album, good kid, m.A.A.d city in October 2012 which debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 and earned him seven Grammy Award nominations. His second album, To Pimp a Butterfly, released in March 2015 immediately earned rave reviews and topped the Billboard 200 with sales of 325,000 copies within its first week, despite it coming a week early due to a technical accident. The album garnered Lamar five Grammy nominations with a win for Best Rap Album.

On April 14 2017, Lamar released his fourth studio album, DAMN. which sold 603,300 copies in its first week, the largest first week of his career and any other release that year. The album shot directly to number one on the Billboard 200 where it remained for four consecutive weeks. Complex Magazine claimed it is his “most ambitious album to date”, NPR called it “introspective and unforgiving” and Rolling Stone named him “the most gifted rapper of a generation.”

About The Film:

Marvel Studios’ “Black Panther” follows T’Challa who, after the death of his father, the King of Wakanda, returns home to the isolated, technologically advanced African nation to succeed to the throne and take his rightful place as king. But when a powerful old enemy reappears, T’Challa’s mettle as king—and Black Panther—is tested when he is drawn into a formidable conflict that puts the fate of Wakanda and the entire world at risk. Faced with treachery and danger, the young king must rally his allies and release the full power of Black Panther to defeat his foes and secure the safety of his people and their way of life.

The film is directed by Ryan Coogler and produced by Kevin Feige with Louis D’Esposito, Victoria Alonso, Nate Moore, Jeffrey Chernov and Stan Lee serving as executive producers. Ryan Coogler & Joe Robert Colewrote the screenplay.Marvel Studios’ “Black Panther” hits U.S. theaters on February 16, 2018.

NEW YORK –November 16, 2017 – SHOWTIME has released the full trailer and the official poster art for the highly-anticipated drama series THE CHI, created and executive produced by Emmy® winner Lena Waithe (Master of None), and executive produced by Academy Award®, Emmy® and Golden Globe®winner Common (Selma) and Elwood Reid (The Bridge, Hawaii Five-O) who also serves as showrunner. The series, which explores the humanity behind the headlines sensationalizing the South Side of Chicago, premieres on Sunday, January 7 at 10 p.m. ET/PT.